Which Petrol X53 to Buy
 

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the forum and currently drive a E39 530ia sport. I'm looking to upgrade to an X5 E53 Sport in the form of a petrol engine and was wondering which is the overall best petrol engine to go for. It will also be in the form of a facelift model.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Jag

It really depends on what your looking for.

I recently bought a 3.0 X5 this was purely because of fuel consumption but also insurance as I'm only 26. However given a free choice it would most definitely be the 4.8is

Think about what is most important to you. The 3.0 is sufficient for me, but it does lack the oomph you sometimes want, but having said that I'm extremely grateful I have an opportunity to own an X5 at 26!

I used to have an e39 528i, and then E53 4.6is and 4.8iS.

e39 was good, i loved it, the car was just sipping gas... the 3.0 X5 has almost the same engine, so you can expect low consumption...

but...
4.8... is not a car...

it is sometimes referred to as a beast... and it lives up to its nickname... but to support that muscle, it needs a lot of calories... so...

if you need a Viagra alternative, the 4.8 is the answer...

if you don't need to impress neighbors, passers by, chicks at a local night club - then 3.0 is fully capable of doing all of the above (sans 4.8 in the vicinity)...

Make sure you get one with sports package... I think a bimmer without a sports package is a waste of money... cold package should give you tinted rear windows, that add to the "mafia" appeal... premium package will throw in leather seats along with some other perks...

the point is, that the 4.8 already comes with those packages as part of the standard equipment - once you start dressing up a bare bones 3.0 and max out on all available options that can be fitted to a 6-cylinder, the price comes very close to a 4.4i that has most of the add-ons already fitted at that super inflated 3.0 price... then, as you start dressing up the 4.4 with all the available options, that price comes within a few grand from the 4.8iS... hence was the reasoning for me to get a 4.6 and then 4.8... but I guess i am in dire need of viagra!!!!

There was a board member who recently (withiin a week or two) got a 2004 X5 4.8iS with about 100K miles for about US$14K... In pounds, it is about 7-8 pounds or so... I do not know the UK prices, but that is a very, very good price for a very capable vehicle...

if you will have a VIN prior to commitment, i might be able to search for the options list that is fitted to that particular vehicle, so you can decide if the fitted options are the ones that you care to buy....

I think in the uk we are generally lucky in that the majority of x5 here whether its the 6pot of v8 come with sport package, I haven't seen many without.
But granted the v8 do tend to come better specced. I got lucky with mine although having tv, DVD, Bluetooth wasn't a huge priority of mine it was a bonus!

I was just wondering which petrol engines are more problematic than others. Is the 3.0i underpowered for the weight of the car that kind of thing really?

Also if I did go for the 3.0i sport then I will be upgrading the alloys to 20" and putting the wider fenders on because I think these two changes would transform the look of the car.

Jag,

When I did my research I opted for the 3.0
I got the impression that it was a less problematic engine mainly because it didn't have a heavy V8.

The 3l is adequet in terms of power but if I had the funds for insurance and repairs I would definitely go for a V8. If its not going to be your daily run, and petrol is no issue go for the 4.6/4.8is. I will get on eventually!

So have you found that your 3.0i has been less problematic and do you find that running it everyday you've not found it sluggish. In general I just wanted your thoughts about owning a 3.0i what your likes and dislikes are?

Well honestly I can't say it's been less problematic because I have nothing to compare it to. I can say iv had it a few months and only one thing has gone wrong and it's not mechanical. Although iv probably jinxed myself now and the car will fall apart tomorrow.

The 3l is a nice drive, I drive at high speeds no problem, it over takes nicely and generally it's adequet. What do I love about it? Just the fact it's an X5 and what do I hate about it? The fact it's not a 4.8is!

At the end of the day any X5 is going to be a great drive, I throw mine around like it's a normal car. I find the drive incredible for the sort of vehicle it is. I would strongly suggest you find a few and test drive them and get a feel for them.
However hand on heart if I had funds an insurance wasn't an issue then V8 all the way, but I'm young and I love speed so I would say that :)

Cheers for your help mate I think my mind is made up and I'm going to go for the 3.0i. To be honest it's for the other half and the kids, I currently have an e39 sport 3.0i which I want to change for an e39 m5 so i think one v8 should be more than enough. Tell you what your spoilt for choice with the BMW range.